The Ashoka Chakra (alternative spelling: Ashok Chakra) is India's highest peacetime

military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. DoD Manual 1348.33, 2010, Vol. 3 A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medal ...

awarded for valor, courageous action, or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It is the peacetime equivalent of the

Param Vir Chakra The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "most conspicu ...

(PVC) and is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice" other than in the face of the enemy. The decoration may be awarded either to military or civilian personnel. Naik Narbahadur Thapa,

Havildar Havildar or havaldar ( Hindustani: or (Devanagari), (Perso-Arabic)) is a rank in the Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese armies, equivalent to sergeant. It is not used in cavalry units, where the equivalent is daffadar. Like a British sergeant, ...

Bachittar Singh Bhai Bachittar Singh (6 May 1664 – 22 December 1705), often known with the honorific "Shaheed" (martyr), was a Sikh hero and a general of Guru Gobind Singh. His father was Bhai Mani Singh and he came from Alipur Riyasat Multan. Family ...

and

Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

Suhas Biswas were the first recipients of the Ashoka Chakra. Subsequent awards of the Ashoka Chakra are recognized by a bar to the medal ribbon. A recipient can be awarded the

Kirti Chakra The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the ''pe ...

Shaurya Chakra The Shaurya Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice while not engaged in direct action with the enemy. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, sometimes posthumously ...

in addition to separate acts of gallantry.

History

The medal was originally established on 4 January 1952 as the "Ashoka Chakra, Class I" as the first step of a three-class sequence of non-combatant bravery decorations. In 1967, these decorations were removed from the "class-based" system and renamed as the Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, and Shaurya Chakra. This is an important point in understanding the independent Indian view of decorations. It would also lead to changes in the Padma Vibhushan series, the distinguished service medal series, the life-saving medal series, and the Defence Security Corps medal series. From 1 February 1999, the central government instituted a monthly stipend for Ashoka Chakra recipients of Rs. 1400. Jammu and Kashmir awarded a cash award of Rs. 1500 for recipients of this award.

Overview

Obverse: Circular gold gilt, 1-3/8 inches in diameter. In the center, the chakra (wheel) of Ashoka, is surrounded by a lotus wreath with an ornate edge. Suspended by a straight bar suspender. The medal is named on the edge. Reverse: Blank in the center, with "Ashoka Chakra" in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

along the upper edge on the medal and the same name in English along the lower rim. On either side is a lotus design. The center is blank, perhaps with the intent that details of the award be engraved there. There is no indication of the class on the pre-1967 awards, and, in fact, there is no difference between these medals & the post-1967 awards. Ribbon: 32 mm, dark green with a 2 mm central saffron stripe.

Ashoka Chakra recipients

, the medal has been awarded to 86 awardees, of which 68 were to posthumous recipients.

Ashoka Chakra recipients by year and service

Superlatives

, Naik Narbahadur Thapa, were the first recipients of the Ashoka Chakra. *Shri Amrat Lal Mehra was first youngest recipient of Ashoka Chakra from Madhya Pradesh *

Suhas Biswas was the first recipient of the Ashoka Chakra from

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

. *

Paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...

Sanjog Chhetri (aged 20 when posthumously awarded) was the youngest recipient of the Ashoka Chakra. *

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair Colonel Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair, AC, KC (popularly known as "NJ") was a highly decorated officer of the Indian Army. On 20 December 1993, while heading an advance party of the battalion, his convoy was ambushed by Naga rebels. Nair pers ...

was awarded both Ashoka Chakra and

. * Damodar Kashinath Jatar, a pilot who was the first civilian recipient of the Ashoka Chakra. *

Yury Malyshev and Flight Engineer Gennadi Strekalov from Russia were the first foreign recipients of the Ashoka Chakra. (both were astronauts) *

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

Rakesh Sharma Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, AC (born 13 January 1949) is a former Indian Air Force pilot who flew aboard Soyuz T-11 on 3 April 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme. He is the only Indian citizen to travel in space, although ...

is the first Indian astronaut to be awarded the Ashoka Chakra. * Neerja Bhanot, a flight attendant of PAN AM who was the first female recipient of the Ashoka Chakra. *

Kamlesh Kumari Kamlesh Kumari was an Indian constable who served with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and a recipient of the Ashoka Chakra, the highest possible award conferred during peacetime by the Republic of India. Kamlesh Kumari died on 13 Dec ...

, a constable of

CRPF The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a federal police organisation in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. It is one among the Central Armed Police F ...

who was the first recipient of the Ashoka Chakra from

Central Armed Police Forces Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) is the collective name of central police organisations in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). These are technically paramilitary forces formerly known as Central Para-Military Forces (CPMF). Sin ...

. *

Bhure Lal Shri Bhurelal, AC (20 March 1938) was a police personnel who was awarded India's highest peacetime gallantry award Ashoka Chakra. Early life Shri Bhurelal was born on 20 March 1938 at Bajarangarh village of Guna district, Madhya Pradesh. His ...

, a constable from

Madhya Pradesh Police The Madhya Pradesh Police Department is the law enforcement agency for the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. Organizational structure Hierarchy The Madhya Pradesh Police uses the following ranks: Officers * Director General of Police (DGP) ...

who is the first state policeman to be awarded the Ashoka Chakra. (Note that Shankar Lal Shrivastava, a retired head constable from

was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra in 1967.) * Lt. Col. Harsh Uday Singh Gaur,10 Bihar Regiment. On November 29, 1994. https://www.mynation.com/news/saluting-lt-col-harsh-uday-singh-gaur-ashok-chakra-posthumous--pj04mf

References

External links

Ashoka Chakra
at

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

website
Bharat Rakshak Page on Ashoka Chakra

Recipients of Ashoka Chakra Award
{{Indian honours and decorations Civil awards and decorations of India Military awards and decorations of India * Memorials to Ashoka Ashoka Chakra Courage awards